When snow days disappear
by Joseph McCarthy
Summary: It is the winter after the Battle of Burgess. And the state passed legislation making snow days a thing of the past. When it snows, the children will log onto their computers and do schoolwork instead of playing outside. Jack finds out and teams with Jamie to make sure that they still have a snow day. And mischief and troublemaking in inevitable with their plan.


_When snow days disappear_

Background-

Less than a year after the events of the movie, (next winter) the State of Pennsylvania passes legislation to make it so that when a snow day happens, (or any other disruption of school), all the children will log onto their computers and work online instead of playing outside. Unless the power goes out, which is rare in most snowstorms, snow days will become a thing of the past. And the legislation will soon go national. The United States Congress is considering passing similar legislation- and it has bipartisan support. And even the United Nations is considering it, which could forever end the snow day. Everywhere.

Jack frost does not know of this, as he is busy. Plus, he knows little about American politics. And could care less about the government. He just goes around the world bringing fun and joy to children. Jamie, who is 11 by now, knows about the new law, and is adamantly opposed to it. (most children across America are). However, he knows there is little he can do. His mother will make him log onto his computer and do his schoolwork, so skipping out on it is not an option.

It all starts on a cold November day. The Battle of Burgess happened only last spring. And Jack Frost is preparing a decent snowstorm to bring the children their first snowstorm of the season. And their first snow day. And it is a decent snowstorm. About a foot- which is rare for November. Jamie and his friends would be excited- if they could actually play in the snow. Instead, they will be doing schoolwork all day long.

The snowstorm started one Sunday night and lasted until early Monday morning- a long weekend for the children. Or so Jack Frost thought. But on Monday morning, he saw no children on the streets. No one. No playing or snowball fights or sledding races. Nothing. All he saw were the town plows and road crews working to clear the streets and put salt down. But no children. The snowy streets of Burgess were dead silent.

Chapter 1- The meeting at Jamie's house

Jack went to Jamie's house to see what was going on. But his house was also silent. Suddenly, the garage opened, and Jamie's mother walked out with a shovel and began to work at the snow on their driveway. And soon Jamie walked out to with a shovel, to help his mother. He quickly spotted Jack, and smiled and waved. Jack visits him often, as they have remained good friends after the battle. As Jack walked up to him, he noticed that a few other kids were helping their parents shovel or snow blow. "Hey Jamie, where is everyone?" He asked. "If they aren't shoveling, they are inside on the computer." Jamie said. "Why would they be inside?" Jack asked. "New law passed by the government. If a snow day happens, we are to complete our school work on the computer. I gotta work on mine once I'm finished helping my mom shovel. She has to go to work." Jamie said. "So wait, let me get this straight. You still have to go to school? But from home? So when will you get to play?" Jack asked. "Never. We have a lotta work to do. Circumference equations, U.S history, science, and a much more. By the time I'm done, it will be dark. And the streets are already plowed, so by tomorrow, its back to school." Jamie said. "So what are you going to do?" Jack asked. He shrugged. "What can I do? If I don't do the work, my grades will drop and my mom will be mad at me." Jamie said. "Can't you do the work tonight?" Jack asked. "No. I got about 8 hours of work, and that's a low estimate." Jamie said.

His mother suddenly walked up, smiling. "Who are you talking to, honey?" She asked. He smiled. "Jack Frost." He said. "Okay, you goofball. Could you shovel a walkway to the front door Jamie?" She asked. "Sure mom." He replied. "Thanks honey. Now I have to go to work in this mess. Make sure you do your work, and watch Sophie. Okay?" "Sure mom." Jamie said. His mother then went into the house to say goodbye to Sophie, who was still sleeping. She then came back outside to say bye to Jamie. "Bye sweetheart. I'll be back tonight." She said, kissing him on the forehead. She then got into her car and left. "So what are you going to do about this?" Jack asked. "What can I do? Protest in Philadelphia or Washington? I'm just a kid. The grown-ups never even asked us what we think about this new law. The kids started a petition on White , but the law won't be repealed. The only thing I can do is finish the shoveling, watch Soph, and do my schoolwork on our computer. And then maybe if I finish in time, I could have some fun in the dark, or just play video games. But overall it's like another school day. Face it Jack, snow days are gone… forever." Jamie said.

But Jack won't face it. He refuses to accept it. He has been around for hundreds of years and has seen a lot of change in the world, especially his town, Burgess. He has seen a major change in government. And huge wars. And huge technological advances he never even dreamed of. Computers? And smartphones? And America in general, he never dreamed that any of those would exist back in the day when Burgess was just a small mining town on the frontier. He turned to Jamie, who had just finished shoveling and was putting the shovels away.

"Hey Jamie! We have to fight this! You _will_ have a snow day today. And I am going to make sure of it!" Jack suddenly said. "How? If I don't do the work, my mom will get mad. I don't want my mom to be mad at me." Jamie said. "Hey. It's one time. You're a good kid. You never break the rules. I'm sure she won't be _to_ mad." Jack said. "So you are _encouraging_ me to break the rules? But aren't you a guardian? Guardians can't break the rules!" Jamie yelled. "Look. I was on the naughty list for well… a long time. Just because I'm a guardian doesn't mean that I'm suddenly a goody-two shoes. I'm the guardian of _fun._ And Jamie, sometimes fun, means trouble. But goodhearted trouble. So Jamie, do you wanna have some _fun?"_ Jack asked.

Jamie thought for a minute. He _did_ want a snow day. But he didn't want to disobey his mother. Or have his grades drop. And is this a cause worth getting grounded for? Maybe. "What about Soph? I can't leave her, and she's only 3." Jamie asked. "I'll watch her. We can take her out, too. If she needs a break from the snow, I'll take her home." Jack said. Jamie thought some more. Maybe this _was_ a cause worth fighting for. Snow days around America? Around the whole _world?_ Some of his favorite memories are from snow days. Like last Easter? The freak spring snowstorm? And sledding down the street and meeting Jack Frost? And the Battle of Burgess? Snow days are a magical time. And they have to stay. They have to. "Ok. I'll break the rules just this time. But when I get grounded, it's your fault. Just make sure I don't end up on the naughty list. Give in a good word for me to North." Jamie said. "I will kiddo. I'll make sure you stay on the nice list. Because you are a nice kid, Jamie." Jack said.

"So what's your plan?" Jamie asked. "Haven't really thought of the details yet." Jack said. By now they were in Jamie's living room. Sophie was playing on the floor. "But we should get all your friends on board. And we should have a big snowball fight in the town park. And a sled race. And no kid in town should be inside on the computer all day. And we need all the time we can get. So get your coat on and let's go." Jack said. "Uhh, I have to eat breakfast first. And make sure Sophie eats. But when I'm done, we will get going. But in the meantime, maybe you could go around town and get my friends involved. And in 1 hour, we could meet in the park, and I'll bring Soph and my sled. Okay?" Jamie asked. "Okay." Jack said, and left the house to go get Jamie's friends.

The snowball fight-

One hour later, they all met in the town park. Jack frost, Jamie, Sophie, Pippa, Cupcake, Monty and Caleb. Most of their parents were at work, so they had no trouble leaving the house. A couple just told them they were going out for a few minutes, which was a lie. (Jack told them to say that.) He has a lot of work to do at the North Pole, redeeming these kids. Jack suddenly made a snowball and threw it at Jamie. And within seconds, they were all throwing snowballs at each other. Even Sophie was involved, throwing little snow balls. Although no one threw any at her because she's so little.

But meanwhile, lights across the world were disappearing. The United Nations, and the European Parliament is providing cheap computers to every child in the world. Very cheap computers. And many countries across the world are also making snow days a thing of the past. While computers for every kid in the world is great, some things, like snow days, are meant to be left alone. The Guardians have fought the greatest villains in the world. But now they face a new enemy- one they can't fight because they are invisible to them- government.

So suddenly, all of the other guardians suddenly showed up. North in his sleigh, Bunny from the ground, tooth and Sandy from the air. All of the children stopped playing and ran up excitedly. North got out solemnly and said- "Ever since that law was passed, the children- a lot of them stopped believing. Many still do, but we've lost about half of the lights. The children are waking up and… they can't play. But it's hard to say I condone this, Jack. They _are_ breaking the rules, by doing this. Most of these children are disobeying their parents. But, I think I'll let this one slide." North said. "Man, its _cold_ out!" Bunny said, shivering in the sub-freezing weather. "How are we going to make them believe? You can't fight the law. Or the government. What's your plan?" Jamie asked. North sighed. "I don't know. But I think the only way to ensure a snow day is to make sure they lose electricity. Either that, or give them a blizzard that's so huge that they simply _have_ to give the children a snow day." North said.

Suddenly, the school principal drove up in her SUV, and she was furious. In her opinion, all these children were truants. Fresh, bad kids who could care less about the rules. Of course, she couldn't see any of the guardians. She stormed across the snowy park, and scowled at all the children. She looked at Jamie with a look of disappointment. "Jamie Bennet, you were always such a sweet boy. Why are you doing this? You, and all of your friends are in _big trouble!_ I am calling all of your parents! And you all will have _detention_ tomorrow!" she said, pulling out her smartphone, about to call Jamie's mother. The Guardians just stood awkwardly- as there was little they could do with an adult. But then Jack frost realized what he must do. He couldn't let this children-hating lady to get Jamie and his friends in trouble. And, he had to save the snow day. So, first he threw a snowball right at her smartphone, making it fall in the snow. He couldn't let her ruin all the fun by calling the kids parents! "You children are in big trouble!" she yelled, and began to march forward, after the kids. Jack suddenly flew up into the air, and began to conjure up another snowstorm. And within minutes, it was white-out conditions. 4-inch per hour snow. The principal couldn't even see. She quickly turned around and went into her car and drove away. The children cheered, and then the snow turned to freezing rain. Jack was trying to make the power go out.

Minutes later, the power lines couldn't hold the ice anymore, and a pole collapsed, cutting the power all throughout Burgess. Jamie and his friends cheered again, and Jack stopped the rain soon after. Now, they _did_ have a snow day. The power is out, and the roads are blocked with more snow. In the mists of the squall, North and the other guardians left, because they had more work to do around the world. with Christmas coming in a month, North had a lot of work to do to make sure it is extra special, especially being the first Christmas after Pitch's attacks on children. Jamie and his friends waved goodbye, and they all left. And now, the snow was glazed with a sheet of ice. "Who wants to do sledding races?" Jack asked. All of the kids jumped up and down, smiling. "Okay then! Let's race!" Jack yelled. And they all grabbed their sleds and began to race across the icy park.

The children played for hours. Sophie, too. Jamie made sure the whole time that she was not only having fun, but he made sure she wasn't cold or hungry. He did at one-point invite all of his friends to his house for a little while to eat lunch, and warm up. He knew his mother probably would not approve of any of this, but then- they were _all_ breaking the rules. Including Jack. Guardians are not supposed to encourage children to break the rules. Jack is, though.

The aftermath/punishment-

For all of the children, it is a day they will never forget. A day of huge mischief, but also fun. and the snow day is preserved for future generations, as Jack frost now makes sure the power goes out. As for Burgess, the power was back on by the time the sun went down. And turns out the principal's cell phone wasn't destroyed, just forced to drop a call. But, inevitably, she soon called all the kid's parents. Especially Jamie, whom she assumed was their ringleader. When Jamie's mother got home, she was pretty mad. But she also understood why he did what he did. When she was a child, she remembered snow days. And she loved them. They were magical to her as well. Although she no longer believes in magic, she loves how her son is so passionate about it. And how he watched Sophie and protected her. She loved that. But he _did_ disobey her. And while he was able to do some of his homework after it got dark, he never got it all done. Especially Common Core math. No kid can figure that stuff out. But when she got home, Jamie knew he was in trouble. But he didn't regret what he did.

"I'm sorry mom. But Jack Frost made me do it." He said to her as she walked into the house. "Oh yah. Thanks. Put the blame on me." Jack said. He was sitting next to Jamie while he worked on his homework on their computer. "You disobeyed me, Jamie. And I'm _disappointed_ in you. I thought you were _better_ than that!" His mother said. He looked down at his shoes. While he didn't really regret what he did, he _did_ hate to disobey his mom. "Jack Frost seems to be a bad influence on you. Is he your imaginary friend?" His mom asked. "No. He's real." Jamie insisted. His mother smiled. "Just like bigfoot? Look, honey, I love how you have an active imagination. I love that about you. But if they are telling you to break the rules, then don't listen to them. You've always been such a sweet kid. What happened?" She asked. "I still am, mom. I'll never act like that again. I'm sorry. But I just wanted a snow day, mom. Didn't you like snow days when you were a kid?" Jamie asked. His mom sighed. "Yes. And I really don't hate what you did. Every child should have a snow day. But on the other hand, getting a call from the principal at work, saying that you were playing _truant_ in the park, well, I am mad. So your grounded, Jamie. For 1 week. Now get your work done. Now." His mom said. "I won't do it again, mom." Jamie said. His mother walked up and ruffled his hair. "I know honey. You _are_ a good kid. And the word _truant_ is a little extreme. But I still have to ground you. Now get your work done. But what you did for Sophie was amazing. You are an awesome big brother. Love you so much. _NOW GET YOUR WORK DONE!"_ She yelled. But then smiled and kissed him on the head, and went into he kitchen to start supper. Jamie gave Jack a dirty look. "You got me _grounded!"_ He said. "For a whole _week!"_ He added. Jack put his hands up.

"Woah! Slow down, Jamie! Remember, a week from now, you will look back on this, and think about how you will never forget this day. Think about how you will never forget it your whole life. The day the children on Burgess, Pennsylvania stood up to the adults and the government. And thought of a way to preserve snow days. Meanwhile sacrificing their freedom for a week after. It will become a story of inspiration to children for many years to come. It will become a fairy tale. _Once upon a time… in a small, American college town called Burgess, in Pennsylvania, a group of children stood up to the adults about snow days… sacrificing their freedom for it._ You will be a legend, Jamie. And maybe you'll write a book about it someday." Jack said. Jamie thought for a minute. "You're right, Jack. I will never forget this. And I'll make it up to my mom. She's not _to_ mad. I'll make her something nice for Christmas. A nice drawing, maybe. She loves it when I make her something for Christmas. She says it's from my heart, and I'll have to make this year's extra special. Thanks, Jack. When are you coming back?" Jamie asked. "Soon. I'll be back soon with more sleet, freezing rain, and heavy snow. Knock down those power lines. Say, what happened to your friends?" Jack asked. Jamie pulled his phone out. His mother had forgotten to take it. There were numerous new text messages on it. All his friends got grounded also. For various amounts of time. Most more than him. He got a _light_ sentence! "They got grounded. For 2 weeks, most of them. Are you sure that North is going to waive this?" Jamie asked. Jack nodded. "Yes. He will. Don't worry, Jamie. You'll get presents. _Nice kids_ get presents. You, are a nice kid. So you did one bad thing? So what? It was all in the name of innocent _fun._ Only naughty kids are left out, and even that's on rare occasions. Most children get a present. You have to be _very_ naughty to get nothing for Christmas. Very. And you are not at all that. So don't worry, Jamie. You're still on the nice list." Jack said. Jamie nodded. Jack was right. What he did wasn't so bad. Jamie suddenly heard his mother from the kitchen. "Jamie, sweetie, suppers' ready! Sophie! Come to dinner honey!" She yelled. And Jamie happily ran into the kitchen, and hugged his mother. "I'm sorry mom." He said. She hugged him back. "I know, honey. Now eat your supper, you goofball." She said, smiling.

Later in the week, Jamie's mother lifted the grounding early, for good behavior. Like making parole. And he _did_ never forget what happened. It was etched in his mind, as strong a memory as the Battle of Burgess. And, later, in college, he _did_ write a book. _The day the children saved the snow day._ Although, he made it a fantasy book with different characters. (believing in almost every mythical figure in college is frowned upon- an invitation to be made fun of.) But he never stopped believing. Throughout his whole life, he still believes in the guardians with all his heart, and could even still see them. And later, he encouraged his own children to believe in them. Jack Frost continued to visit from time to time. (He even attended Jamie's high school, and college graduation party, unbeknownst to the non-believers.) But pretty much, _they all lived happily ever after…_


End file.
